Recipes below: Orecchiette with Zucchini, Capocollo, Summer Savory, and Young Garlic; Insulate di Risotto with Yellow Zucchini, Moroccan Olives, Anchovies, and Thai Basil.
When I spot the first little zucchini at the market, I know we’re on our way. Summer in New York—I thought it would never come. With these first-of-the-season vegetables in hand, I always think about my father. He kept a classic Italian man’s garden in our backyard, small but densely packed. My mother never gardened. No mother did back then. It was his big rectangle. He owned it, although I too, being a budding cook, was back there many early evenings, him with his glowing Marlboro and vodka martini, me with my uneducated enthusiasm. Nice memory. And now I often find myself just thinking how ugly our country has become since Trump took over. My father would have been horrified to know this moronic, lying thug of championship wrestling fame had become our president. Death can have its perks. I waited for the first of my dad’s zucchini, grabbing them before they got huge and only good for stuffing. The things grow crazy fast. So exciting to see them pop out. It’s interesting how much attention I paid to them, considering, if I admit it to myself, they actually taste like almost nothing.
Despite their delicate taste, I love them unadorned, maybe sautéed with a little summer bulb onion and a sprinkling of Parmigiano. But sometimes I want to add strong flavors, pancetta, capers, the capocolla and summer savory I’ve used in my first recipe, or the anchovies and olives I added to the rice salad. A little brine, a little salt, a hint of pork fat. Uplifting.
Scroll down for the recipes.
Orecchiette with Zucchini, Capocollo, Summer Savory, and Young Garlic
If you’re looking for a new way to use summer savory, I suggest trying it with capocollo. Its strong flavor blends beautifully with the deep hot fat of the pork. I used a sweet capocollo here because I didn’t want to overwhelm the gentle taste of the zucchini with too much heat.
I served this with a lightly chilled Beaujolais Villages.
Salt
Extra-virgin olive oil
8 thin slices sweet capocollo, cut into matchsticks
1 pound orecchiette (I used Setaro brand)
12 small, thin zucchini, cut into not-too-thin half moons (my zucchini were about 3 inches long; if you can only get bigger ones, you’ll need fewer)
1 shallot, cut into small dice
Black pepper
2 young summer garlic cloves, thinly sliced (if you can’t find this, just leave it out)
The grated zest from 1 lemon
A splash of white wine
¾ cup light chicken broth
8 sprigs summer savory, lightly chopped
A few large sprigs of flat leave parsley, the leaves lightly chopped
A chunk of primo sale cheese for grating
Bring a pot of pasta water to a boil. Add salt.
While the water’s heating, get out a large sauté pan, and set it over medium heat. Add a drizzle of olive oil and the capocollo, and let the capocollo heat through and get a little crisp. Remove the capocollo with a strainer spoon, and set it aside on a plate, leaving the fat in the pan.
Drop the orecchiette into the water.
Add the zucchini and the shallot, season with salt and black pepper, and sauté until the zucchini starts to go brown and crispy at the edges, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and the lemon zest, and stir it in, letting the garlic open up in the heat for a few seconds. Add the white wine, and let it bubble for a bit. Add the chicken broth and the savory, and let the sauce simmer to blend all the flavors, about 3 minutes.
When the orecchiette is al dente, drain it, leaving a little water clinging to it, and pour it into a large serving bowl. Drizzle it with fresh olive oil, and give it a toss.
Add the zucchini sauce, the parsley, and about 2 tablespoons of grated primo sale. Toss. Check for seasoning. Serve hot, bringing the rest of the primo sale to the table.
Insalata di Riso with Yellow Zucchini, Moroccan Olives, Anchovies, and Thai basil
Here I’ve hit the gorgeous deep yellow zucchini with all sorts of strong flavors. It works, I find, because the rice balances it all out.
I thought the dish’s strong, salty flavors went well with a Negroamaro rosato from Puglia.
5 or 6 yellow summer zucchini, the smaller the better, cut into small dice
Extra-virgin olive oil
Salt
Black pepper
A big pinch of allspice, about ¼ teaspoon
1 small summer onion, cut into small dice
2 young summer garlic cloves, thinly sliced (if you can’t find this, just leave it out)
A splash of sweet vermouth
2 cups cooked long- or medium-grain rice (not risotto rice, which would be too sticky), at room temperature (leftover cooked rice is ideal)
A handful of lightly toasted pine nuts
A handful of Moroccan olives (the wrinkled black ones), pitted
4 oil-packed anchovies, minced (I used Fishwife brand)
1 teaspoon sherry wine vinegar
Aleppo pepper to taste
A handful of Thai basil leaves, lightly chopped, plus a few good-looking sprigs for garnish
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
Place the diced zucchini on a sheet pan. Drizzle it with olive oil, and season it with salt, black pepper, and the allspice. Roast until golden and just tender, about 6 or 7 minutes. In the last minute or so of cooking, scatter on the onion and garlic. Take the pan from the oven, and splash on a little sweet vermouth, just to loosen all the good cooking bits.
Place the rice in a nice-looking, wide serving bowl. Season it with a little salt. Scrape the zucchini, with any pan juices, into the bowl. Add the pine nuts and olives, and toss gently.
In a small bowl, whisk together the minced anchovies, sherry vinegar, and 3 tablespoons of olive oil, seasoning the mix with a little salt (or possibly no salt, depending on your anchovies). Pour it over the rice. Sprinkle on some Aleppo, add the Thai basil, and toss well. Taste for seasoning, adding a bit more salt or olive oil if needed. Garnish with the Thai basil sprigs. Serve warm or at room temperature.
Erica De Mane 
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